[11] Negotiations continued into 2002,[12] with a deal announced in December 2002, allowing the club to remain at Roots Hall for three years while plans for Fossetts Farm were developed.
[13] In March 2006, Martin bought out Delancy's shareholding in Southend United,[14] and planned a new Council submission about a combined 17,000-seat stadium, retail and leisure development at Fossett's Farm.
[30] According to its 2012 accounts, the club was effectively insolvent but remained a "going concern", thanks to support from Martin Dawn Plc and South Eastern Leisure.
Martin had also faced legal action from individuals and firms, including solicitors, a neuro specialist and Anglian Water, to settle bills and, in 2013, agreed a repayment plan with former club chief executive Tara Brady over a £150,000 debt.
[30][31] In 2014, Martin paid £460,000 to acquire the prefabricated structure of the former David Beckham Academy in Greenwich, London, for use as an all-weather training facility for the club.
[33] The winding-up petition was dismissed after debts were cleared,[34] but continued financial constraints prevented the club signing any new players during the January 2020 transfer window.
[35] On 2 March, Martin confirmed Southend was under an EFL transfer embargo due to an unpaid tax bill,[36] while February's wages to players were not paid on time, resulting in further PFA involvement.
[44] Meanwhile, on 2 April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Southend put "several staff and some players" on furlough (temporary leave) under the UK Government's emergency job retention scheme.
[52] With the club struggling near the foot of the National League, Southend fans staged protests at Roots Hall on 5 and 9 October 2021, demanding Martin's departure.
[56] On the following day, fans staged protests at Roots Hall after shirt sponsors PG Site Services withdraw their support of the club.
A fans' group, "Save Our Southend", blamed "the utter ineptitude of Ron Martin in running the club properly", saying they judged him "to be an unfit and improper owner".
[69] On 10 February 2023, St John Ambulance said it would no longer provide first aid staff at Southend United home games because of outstanding fees,[70] forcing the club to find alternative medical cover ahead of an FA Trophy tie with York City.
Maguire said head coach Kevin Maher and other backroom staff were running out of patience, adding that Martin had "seen Roots Hall as an opportunity to make money from a property perspective and your heart goes out to the people working there who don't know how long they've got a job there or have any certainty at the start of every month whether or not they will be paid.
[105] The National League welcomed the club's payments to football creditors, licencing the club to participate in the 2023–2024 season, but required it to pay its HMRC debt in full by 23 August 2023 (adjournment of the court hearing would not postpone this requirement) and to ensure all future football creditors or HMRC debts were cleared on time to the satisfaction of the League during the 2023–2024 season.
[106] On 15 August 2023, former club chief executive Tara Brady confirmed he had tried to buy Southend United in July, only to be rebuffed by Martin.
[115][116] Despite his earlier confidence, Martin subsequently said he was unsure if this deadline would be met; there were two potential buyers but discussions with the Rees consortium were "more advanced".
[117] On 7 September 2023, Southend Council committed to considering investment in the club if it would aid its survival,[118] potentially by buying Roots Hall for Martin's £4.5M asking price.
[120] The club's match against Maidenhead United that evening was briefly interrupted by fans throwing toy rats and tennis balls onto the pitch in another protest against Martin.
[122] Fans staged an anti-Martin protest march to Roots Hall ahead of the club's National League tie against AFC Fylde on 23 September 2023.
[128] With details of the rescue deal yet to be finalised, reports suggested the club would remain at Roots Hall, with the 500 homes once planned for the site now transferred to Fossetts Farm.
[131] On 5 December, the consortium said due diligence had raised important issues which had required further time to resolve, and some legal and procedural work remained.
[133][134] In March 2024, Southend CEO Tom Lawrence said final completion of the club's takeover could still be a couple of months away, being dependent upon a council review of the housing shift to Fossets Farm,[134] though it later emerged that obtaining the consent of Ron and son Jack Martin's finance partner (CBRE) was also delaying matters.
[136] In May 2024, with the deal still to be completed, Martin's almost 25 years in charge was, according to Guardian writer Tim Burrows, "widely seen – both by fans and more dispassionate observers – as one of the most disastrous chairmanships in modern football.
The council's due diligence over plans for the housing at Fossetts Farm continued, while CBRE had yet to consent to the payment structure for the Roots Hall refurbishment.
[141] On 23 May 2024, after a Council update[142][143] and having provided £3.5m in funding to Southend, the Rees consortium said it was becoming "increasingly concerned" that processes would not be completed before the 26 June High Court winding-up hearing.
The newly elected council leader, Daniel Cowan, blamed the previous administration for assurances that "fell outside of normal practice and were simply not achievable".
The plans proposed 800 to 850 homes in buildings no higher than four storeys, leased by Ron Martin to Southend Council under a build-to-rent finance scheme.
[151] In 2007, Martin's home and offices were searched[152] and he was later arrested[153] during a fraud investigation concerning a planning application unrelated to his football club interests.